Dental impression tray



c. A. FlS HER ETAL 2,758,374

DENTAL IMPRESSION TRAY Filed March 18, 1955 INVENTORJ Cliffbrd A. FisherJune A. Fisher ATTORNEYS United States Patent DENTAL IMPRESSION TRAY'Clitford A. Fisher and June A. Fisher, Silver Spring, Md.

Application March 18, 1955, Serial No. 495,152

Claims. (Cl. 32-17) This invention relates to dental instruments oracces series and pertains more particularly to a dental impression trayof improved form which is most advantageously adapted for use withso-called colloid type impression compounds.

Colloid compounds are readied for use by mixing together, in thepresence of a suitable solvent, two mixtures which may be in powder formor otherwise and the resultant compound is characterized by its highdegree of fluidity and stickiness which presents some difiiculty inretaining the mass of compound within the confines of the tray and inmaintaining the mass in proper shape while in the tray. It is,therefore, a primary object of this invention to provide an improvedform of dental impression tray for use with colloid type compoundwherein provision is made for not only retaining the mass of compoundwithin the confines of the tray but also for tnaihtaining the mass inproper shaped relation while in the tray.

A further object of this invention is to provide an im proved impressiontray having a handle means thereon for aiding in the manipulation andplacement of the tray within a patients mouth.

Another object of this invention lies in an improved dental tray sopreformed and preshaped as to readily conform to the contour of apatients jaw, the tray being readily made in a minimum number of 'basicshapes and sizes so that the tray may be used in either the upper orlower jaw areas and in either the front or back portions of the mouth.

Still another object of this invention resides in an improved form ofdental tray having a base and upstanding opposite side walls such thatthe tray is open at its opposite ends and wherein means in the form of arolled or solid sion compound-mass within the tray.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved dental trayhaving a base and upstanding opposite side walls such that the tray isopen at its opposite ends and wherein the metallic material from whichthe tray is made is perforate throughout its area to allow theimpression compound material to extrude partially therethrough wherebythe compound will have interlocking engagement with the tray.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of an improveddental tray having a handle pivotally attached thereto so that the traymay be easily and effectively maneuvered within the patients mouth toplace the tray in proper position therein.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointedout in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that variouschanges in the form, proportions, and minor details of construction,within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departingfrom the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages .of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the improved dental tray in use;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the improved tray;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation view of the tray showing the same filled witha mass of compound and illustrating the assembly in use;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view through the tray showing thepivotal mounting for the handle; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a modified form of tray showing variouspositions of the handle in dotted lines.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, the dental tray is indicatedgenerally by the reference character 10 and preferably takes the form ofa main body or tray portion 11 and a handle means 12 pivotally attachedthereto.

Figs. 2-4 more clearly illustrate the details of construction andreference is bad at this time thereto. Fig. 2 most clearly shows thebase 13 of the tray which is elongate and which is bounded on oppositesides by a pair of upstanding walls 14 and 15. The base may be formed soas to be substantially straight or it may be formed as in Fig. 2 with alongitudinal curvature. In the former case, the tray is particularlyadapted to be used in the.

molar region where the teeth are very nearly arrangedin a straight linewhereas in the latter case as shown in Fig. 2, the tray is adapted foruse in the front curved portion of the mouth. It will be appreciatedthat only two or three trays having different radii of curvature will besufiicient to properly fit any patients mouth.

The sidewalls Hand 15 are preferablysliglrtly inclined to the verticalso that they are upwardly divergent and will more readily andcomfortably conform to the natural contours of the mouth. The base 13 issubstantially flat and the side walls 14 and 15 form therewith an openended trough.

The tray is preferably formed from a non-corrosive metal such asstainless steel or the like and the entire area thereof is provided witha plurality of openings or perfora- .tions 16. These perforations neednot be patterned in any specific manner, it being only necessary that asuflicient number of them .be provided to allow the fluid mass M ofrubber base colloid compound to partially .ex-trude therethrough andform an interlocked engagement with the tray. The ,protuberances .ornipples formed by the compound .fiowing or extruding through theperforations is indicated by the numeral 17 as shown most clearly inFig. '3.

The upper corners of the side walls are curved to provide smoothcontours and merge smoothly with the opposite ends of the base and themarginal edge portions of the side walls and the ends of the base arerolled inwardly to form the continuous bead 18. [This bead forms abarrier all around the tray which is substantially perpendicular at allpoints to the adjacent surface and serves to retain the fluid mass M ofcompound within the confines of the tray. Also, this bead presents asmooth edge which will obviate cutting or bruising of the patients gums,tongue or month. In practice the bead, although it is not of large size,will to a great extent prevent the compound from oozing over the edgesof the tray, particularly as this will tend to happen when theimpression is being made.

The compound when set is a resilient, rubber-like mass which, althoughit may be deformed, will spring back to its original shape and soproduce a permanent impression record. Thus, it can be seen that thehardened or set compound is easily removed by hand from the tray stem 22of a rivet or the like fastener.

sion is being made of the front portion of the mouth; the handle 12 willbe disposed more or less perpendicular to 17 protrude through thevarious a res a t the longitudinal axis of the tray whereas when. theimpression is being made at or near the rear of the mouth, the handlewill most advantageously assume a position more or less parallel withthe longitudinal axis of the tray.

The handle is provided adjacent its free end with an A opening 19 sothat the assembly may be conveniently suspended from ahook while not inuse and the opposite end thereof is provided with the opening 20 alignedwith an opening 21 in the base 13 to receive therethrough the shown mostclearly in Fig. 4 has its head 23 disposed lowermost and with itsuppermost end 24 upset or headed over. The net result is to freelypivotally secure one end of the handle 12 to the undersurface of base13.

The area of the base 13 immediately adjacent and surrounding the rivetis preferably free of apertures 16 to allow substantial swingingmovement of the handle 12 without the handle encountering any of thenipples 17 of compound which are extruded through the perforations 16.

Of course, the sidewalls 14- and are so shaped as to most nearlyapproximate the normal mouth contours .and to this end, the side wall 14as shown in Fig. 2 is inwardly dished in the region 25 to conform withthe natural curvature 'of'the inner side of the gums since theimpression tray shown in Fig. 2 is always to be used with the side wall15 outermost.

The modification shown in Fig. 5 is similar to that depresent acontinuous water tight passageway all around the tray. This maybeaccomplished by any suitable means such as soldering the free edge ofthe bead to the adjacent surface of the tray, by aflixing a length oftubing The rivet as a scribed above but difiers therefrom in theformation of the bead 26. In this case, the bead is so formed as to thebead passageway, a dam 29 is placed between the inlet i U The dottedline positions of 4 p M the handle 12 in Fig. 5 serve to illustrate someof the positions in which the handle may be disposed.

Although we have shown specifically a pivoted handle attached to thetray, it is of course possible to maneuver the tray within a patientsmouth with some degree of success by using a handle which is rigidlyattached to the impression tray. 3 I

We have shown by way of example an impression tray for use in takingimpressioiisof a part of the jaw. However, it is to be'understoodthatithe inventio'mmay be used on a tray for taking an impression of thefull jaw or anypart thereof.

We claim: 7 j

1. In an impression tray comprising a body of curved formation on alongitudinal plane, the body having a base, upstanding side walls andopen ends, the base and side walls having perforations therein, thesidewalls and the ends of the base having a means thereon to holdimpression material within the tray with the impression materialentering the perforations and being locked to the tray, and handle meanscarried by the body.

2. The impression tray as defined in and by claim 1, wherein the meanson the side walls and the ends of the base is a rolled bead formedintegrally with the side walls and the base.

3. The impression tray as defined in and by claim 1, wherein the body isof a U-shaped construction with the legs being the side walls and thebase of the body being the base of the U-shaped construction.

'4. The impression tray as defined in and by claim3. wherein the legs ofthe U-shaped construction have a rolled bead along their free edges andthe base of the'U- shaped construction has av rolled bead along itsendsj,'tlie rolled beads of each part being connected to form acontinuous rolled bead throughout the entire free edge of the body ofthe tray. I

5. A dental impression tray comprising a body having a substantiallyflat base and upwardly divergent side walls on opposite sides thereof,an inwardly rolled continuous bead along the free edges of said sideWalls and the opposite ends of the base, an elongate handle having oneend underlying a central portion of the base, means projecting throughsaid one end of the handle and the central portion of thev base andpivotally interconnecting the same, said body being .provided withperforations throughout its area.

References Cited in thcfile of patent.

291,699 Great Britain June 7, 1928

